snaps

Well that has really cheered me up...NOT. I'm due to arrive in BoP very, very soon. I live in the south of England at present an I'm a true Yorkshire guy. I already miss stonewalls, the Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales down here. I have no idea what it'll be like long term but I'm going give it a try. I'm looking forward to New Year on a beach free of hefty parking tickets, litter, burger stalls, fair ground ride and no space to place a towel. At at last I'll be ableto enter the water without freezing.

Good luck next year.

MrsFychan

well lizard you have had a good length of time over here, I'm sure when you are packing up and near the time to leave you will have some good memories and experiences to take with you.
I do know what you mean about the topsy turvy seasons, last Christmas, our first here, was mostly spent inside with the air con on as it was just so hot. People under estimate how the lack of ozone makes a real difference to how you handle the heat.

snaps - before entering water please check that it safe, some places are not safe to paddle let alone swim in. Sure if it is a major beach area it would be safe but always best to check. As for parking tickets you are correct most places are free and I personally don't see burger vans around just lots of little bbq's set up mainly by shops providing sausage in some bread but litter is still a problem.
as for fairground rides yep can honestly say don't think they have things like that. Mind you if you do attend any organised functions just lower your expectations and all will be good

snaps

I had no idea at all there were any problems.

What is not safe?
I was promised no sharks, no crocodiles, no spiders, no jelly fish and clear fresh blue salt water. It usually takes some time in Cornwall to get me into the water on a hot sunny day when on holiday.

I also have my very own UV factor 50 Sun Tent which is my safety zone which has proved invaluable on some days as I originate from darkest Yorkshire and have fair skin.

snaps

Apologies I meant MrsFychan.

Persephone

It's generally rip tides that get people, it's common for swimmers to get into difficulties.
As for dangerous animals- the occasional shark only.
Not trying to scare you as attacks are very rare, but they have occurred.

Factor 50 works well for this pale skinned Northerner!

Stormer999

Some of them cook up very nicely on the Xmas barbie with a nice cold NZ glass of Pinot Gris. Position the BBQ out of direct sun otherwise your drink warms up too quick though I do have a small bar fridge that plugs into the garage to help keep it cold. No craving for the grey wet thanks, I still remember the arthritic pains!

britsinnz

[QUOTE=snaps;11018991]Mrs Fyncham - 'before entering water please check that it safe, some places are not safe to paddle let alone swim in. Sure if it is a major beach area it would be safe but always best to check.'

I had no idea at all there were any problems.

What is not safe?
I was promised no sharks, no crocodiles, no spiders, no jelly fish and clear fresh blue salt water.

There are jelly fish, I don't know how widespread in NZ this is, but when we went to a beach last year there were hundreds of blue jellyfish (man o war) on the sand.

Just like this.

snaps

I guess this is the thing on the sand...

The Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis), also known as the Portuguese man-of-war, Man-Of-War, or bluebottle, though often mistaken as a jellyfish, is a marine cnidarian of the family Physaliidae. Its venomous tentacles can deliver a painful sting.
Despite its outward appearance, the man o' war is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differs from jellyfish in that it is not actually a single organism, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids.[1] Each of these zooids is highly specialized, and, although structurally similar to other solitary animals, they are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.

Thanks for the tips on rip tides. I was on a beach last year in Devon/Cornwall and the following week a mother died saving her sons from a rip tide. The beach always looked gentle and calm. Swimming is not high on my list of achievements to date.

I/we will be getting out the tree each year, with silly hats, a whole table full of Christmas crackers with awful jokes like the following.

John - 'Mum, can we have a cat for Christmas?'
Mum - 'No, we'll have a turkey like everyone else.'

I believe Christmas cards are collectors items in NZ too.

BEVS

Note: Snaps did not start this thread. I moved these posts from the Sad Christmas thread. Not just to help keep the Sad Christmas thread on topic as it appears to be Lizard's farewell to NZ , but also because I really do feel the subject of safe swimming / boating in New Zealand is worth a thread of it's own.

bearskin

Swimming in the sea at some places in NZ is positively treacherous due to Rip tides. In fact, NZ has a primetime TV show highlighting Surf Lifeguards picking people out of the water at Piha Beach in West Auckland. These guys will be at it full time - and I mean, one after the other - up to a hundred lifesaving acts a day!! Unfortunately what would be a rare occurrence some places (a surf boat having to zoom out into the bay to save someone from drowning) is just considered commonplace here - God knows why? It's just madness.

Also, another deathtrap of a beach is another one of our most iconic tourist attractions - Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel. Yes, the grockles turn up and dig their (rather sad) little thermal water pools, but then they toddle off into the surf... which is lethal there.

snaps

In the New Year I WAS due an excursion to the Coromandel as fun day out, thanks I'll be warned now.

Here's more on the Man-0-War beast and help to resolve pain etc.

This species and the smaller Indo-Pacific man o' war are responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of South Australia and Western Australia.
The stinging, venom-filled nematocysts in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live organism in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the organism or the detachment of the tentacle.
Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last 2 or 3 days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about an hour. However, the venom can travel to the lymph nodes and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, a more intense pain.[citation needed] A sting may lead to an allergic reaction. There can also be serious effects, including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung function. Stings may also cause death, although this is extremely rare. Medical attention may be necessary, especially if pain persists or is intense, there is an extreme reaction, the rash worsens, a feeling of overall illness develops, a red streak develops between swollen lymph nodes and the sting, or either area becomes red, warm and tender.
Treatment of stings
The best treatment for a Portuguese man o' war sting is:
To avoid any further contact with the Portuguese man o' war and to carefully remove any remnants of the organism from the skin (taking care not to touch them directly with fingers or any other part of the skin to avoid secondary stinging); then
To apply salt water to the affected area (not fresh water, which tends to make the affected area worse)
To follow up with the application of hot water (45 °C/113 °F) to the affected area from anywhere between 15-20 minutes which eases the pain of a sting by denaturing the toxins.
If eyes have been affected, to irrigate with copious amounts of room-temperature tap water for at least 15 minutes, and if vision blurs or the eyes continue to tear, hurt, swell, or show light sensitivity after irrigating, or there is any concern, to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Vinegar is not recommended for treating stings. Vinegar dousing increases toxin delivery and worsens symptoms of stings from the nematocysts of this species. Vinegar has also been confirmed to provoke hemorrhaging when used on the less severe stings of nematocysts of smaller species.
The Portuguese man o' war is often confused with jellyfish by its victims, which may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom differs from that of true jellyfish.

Robbie2010

Where he's headed, Bay of Plenty, sharks are present in larger numbers over summer months.... bronze whalers, school and rig sharks, juvenile hammerheads and thresher sharks.....

Great beaches though but watch out for rips.

MrsFychan

some water ways are very polluted so you need to check the local council site for the safe area's.

Where ever you got the information about no sharks, no spiders no jelly fish needs a rewrite.

snaps

I will not sleep easy tonight.

Anyone know if Lake Rotorua is jaws and sting free?

Tom1983

I don't know what it's like in other beaches but at Sumner you aren't allowed to swim other than within the flag boundary area

Usually the tides are known so the lifeguards so sometimes they will change the flag positions to keep people safe

Another thing to be careful of about beaches - especially along New Brighton is those Katipo spiders. I've seen quite a few strolling round the dune areas. You get bitten by one of those, ouch - ambulance immediately

The tides around Sumner can be very strong at times but the tides around New Brighton tend to be less powerful. Certainly noted everytime I've had a swim round there.

Oh and there are a few Great White Sharks around the area as sometimes they'll swim up due to the tasty seals around Akaroa, Kaikoura etc. But it's highly unlikely they come close enough to attack